Moving Day - Austin

Inspiration: "The infusion or arousal within the mind of some idea, feeling, or impulse, especially one that leads to creative action."

The definition SHOULD bring at least a touch of the reality – shouldn’t it?

In the midst of a marathon workload, inspiration has seemed strangely lacking for several weeks. Moving a Bible Book Store is a major undertaking. My normal work week is 22 hours at the store, and 30 – 40 hours in writing related work. This last stint, with the move actually beginning Saturday night Oct. 25 and the store scheduled to reopen in the new location on Thursday, Oct. 30 has been seven days a week with a number of 16 hour days. Many books by TWG authors have been boxed up and moved. A few have now found themselves back on shelves in the new store, and the rest will emerge out of the chaos over the next two days. It is exhausting, yet exhilarating. The new store is much better located, more visible, on the main street, larger, brighter, with higher ceilings and as good or better parking.

Many, many volunteers have helped. Saturday evening when we began, there were probably more than 25 people packing books into boxes, and numbering and labeling them. Art and Gift-ware had to be boxed up as well. Shelving units had to be dismantled and labeled.

The volunteers tell me something about how deeply many people still appreciate quality writing. Most of the people who have been there helping have full schedules already. I don’t think any of them were desperate for something to fill their hours. Several of our best customers have been there, helping pack up, and today quietly working away at restocking a section of shelving.

A delightful little interlude at some point (the hours are starting to blur) was a rainbow seen from the door of the old store, pretty much covering the new store. It wasn’t a particularly brilliant rainbow, but it seemed somehow fitting and I managed to get a couple of pictures. Rain and moving days don’t mix well, but the sun found moments to peek through breaks in the clouds and the rainbow itself gave spectacular scenery just about every time I paused to look. There has been a mood of excitement and anticipation among everybody involved. In the midst of the chaos of the new store, there are beginning to be little glimpses of order. Clutter is starting to clear. Shelves are beginning to fill. Little lengths of aisles are beginning to appear. There are places you can actually walk without tripping over something. Food keeps showing up. Crock-pots full of chili or soup, lasagna, sandwiches, donouts, muffins – we’ve burned a lot of calories, but a number of people have been making sure we get them all back.So if you have any reason to be in Hanover, Ont., from this Thursday on, check out our new location. The sign hasn’t yet arrived, but it’s supposed to be 45 feet long, so I think you’ll be able to find us on the North side of 10th St in the M&M plaza.
Brian Austin